The Morning After
by Makokam
Summary: You always feel it in the morning.


_**Mako's Message: ** I apologize for this not being a PC chapter. The PC chapters have been... "High Stress" chapters lately, and I've been antsy about writing them. So, I decided to try and get the juices flowing properly again by writing something very "Low Stress". Hope you can forgive me._

* * *

The sun peeked in through the window, and finally managed to touch the eyes of one Dave Lizewski.

He flinched away and scrunched his eyes shut tighter, but to no avail. The sun was knocking on his eyelids and it was impossible to ignore. Even turning away entirely couldn't shield him from the heat or the light reflecting off the walls.

He groaned and reluctantly cracked his eyes open.

Struggling against the brightness he tried to find his phone, only to groan as his sore muscles protested the movement. He lay still and limp, well, relatively limp, on the bed debating his next move. It took his not-exactly-functioning-yet brain a few minutes before he decided.

"Shower" he mumbled to no one in particular.

He started to get up again only to be stopped short. This time though, it was because of the arm around him. He rubbed at his eyes and looked to his left; Mindy was spooning him again. He tried to move away gently, but the more he pulled away, the tighter her grip became.

He closed his eyes for a moment, briefly considering trying to go back to sleep, but his brain and other functions were starting to warm up so going back to sleep wasn't really an option. He carefully pried her fingers off of him and lifted her arm up and slipped out. He was careful to keep a hold of her arm until he was clear of the bed, and then set it carefully down.

When her arm touched the mattress, Mindy's mouth turned into a frown, and she slowly started to wake as her brain tried to discern what was wrong. Her arm slid up and down the mattress, and when it found nothing but sheets she bolted awake. Sorta.

She pushed herself up and looked around the room before scowling like a baby otter at Dave through eyes that weren't really open yet. She then threw herself back down onto the bed and tried to burrow her way through the mattress face first, before reaching out and grabbing Dave's pillow and wrapping herself around it, muttering incoherently.

When Dave reached the shower he turned it on and carefully adjusted the water until it was hot, but not TOO hot, before stepping in without taking his boxers off.

He sighed and slowly started to roll his head on his shoulders, then rolled his shoulders, letting the warm water slowly relax away the ache, and enjoying the dull pain of the water hitting his bruises. After a few minutes of this he grabbed a washcloth and started a quick scrub down of the five key areas.

Before he could finish the first one the show curtain was pulled aside to reveal Mindy in all her "morning zombie" glory. Her eyes were still probably closed, but enough of her hair was in her face that you couldn't really be sure, and her head was listing slightly to the side and her camisole was in danger of slipping off that shoulder.

She "stared" in at Dave and he stared back for a moment before going back to his cursory scrub down.

A moment later Mindy grunted, "Move," and shoved her way into the shower beside him. He took a half step back and let her stand under the spray. She sighed and slowly fell forward until her head hit shower wall with a "clunk".

She didn't move or say anything for a minute, and when she did it was a much delayed, "Ow"

Dave finished washing under his boxers then reached out and pulled Mindy's hair back from her face and tucked it behind her shoulders. "Mmm" she responded.

Dave started to step out, but Mindy asked, "Back rub?"

He looked at her for a moment, then at his towel, then stepped back in and started to rub her back, starting at the shoulders. "Ah! Ah! Ah!" she gasped as he started to work the stiff and bruised muscles, but after another moment or two let out a long relaxed sigh as he worked his way down her back. When he reached her waist he started back up, but when he got back to her shoulders he worked down her arms a bit before stopping and stepping out of the shower.

Mindy whined in protest but didn't do much else as Dave dried himself off, then wrapped the towel around his waist before stepping out of his sopping wet boxers. She continued to lean against the wall for a moment before she sighed and started to give herself a quick scrub down as well.

Dave had intended to go back to the bedroom and get dressed, but, feeling relaxed and kinda blissful actually from the shower, he settled for sitting on the couch and nearly dozing off. He was in one of those states where the body is more or less shut down, but the mind and senses are still fully functioning. He could hear the water turn off and Mindy step out, then the wet "flop" of her underwear hitting the floor and her soft footsteps almost silently padding into the main room before climbing on to the couch next to him and wrapping her arms around him while clad in nothing but her own fluffy pink towel.

At least it felt like the fluffy pink one. He wasn't able to open his eyes to verify.

She slumped further against him and her hand fell down into his lap. A surge of adrenaline allowed him to move his mouth, "Hey, watch the hands."

He could hear her let out an annoyed grunt before he felt her pull her feet up to kneel beside him, putting both hands on his left shoulder and resting her head on his right.

Before he knew what was going on Mindy was squeezing and shaking him, "Hey, wake up, no going back to sleep now. We have to stretch and shit or we'll just get all stiff again."

"Mmm." He pulled himself up and felt Mindy's arms fall away as he stood then stretched. He grabbed his towel just as it started to slip off.

He went back into the bedroom, followed shortly after by Mindy, and they each went to opposite sides of the bed to where they kept their clothes. Both slipping their underwear on under their towels before tossing them aside.

Though, Mindy had to put her sports bra on after discarding her towel.

She wasn't worried about Dave peeking and he didn't.

Mindy didn't put anything else on for a top, but Dave threw on a t-shirt. They both wore track shorts.

They went back into the main room and started into their morning stretch routine. Dave's was fairly basic, but more thorough than the average person's. Mindy's, however, was fairly extensive and involved some positions that the average male would find very interesting.

Dave saw it too often to care let alone pay attention.

Dave went through his stretches twice by the time Mindy finished one set, but that was enough for her and she started putting on her shoes while Dave checked the camera's watching the hall outside. Then she went back into the bathroom and winced at her reflection.

It was rare for her get tagged in a fight, but she did get a glancing blow occasionally and she would often have to take a tumble to avoid something worse. Last night it had all happened. She started by applying some ointment to the scrape on the side of her face from when she'd had to dive out of the way an ended up eating pavement. Then she pulled out her makeup case and started covering up the bruises on her jaw and shoulders. She checked her back to see if there was anything there that needed covered, and of course there was. A large ugly bruise all the way across her back from where, if she remembered correctly, some asshole had hit her with a baseball bat. "Dave, I need your help."

Dave poked his head in and immediately knew what was needed. He took the makeup from her and started spreading it across his fingers as she pulled the straps on her bra down and leaned over the sink.

She winced again when his fingers first touched her, but as he rubbed the concealing makeup onto her skin, it started to hurt in a good way.

Soon it was done and she groaned at the loss of his touch, "You're going to have to give me another back rub later."

"Maybe. But only if I get one too."

"Sure thing."

"Oh, you're going to need to buy more," Dave said as he tossed her the all but empty jar.

Mindy scoffed in disgust, "Honestly, I spend more on this stuff just trying to look normal than girls who are trying to look pretty."

Dave shrugged, "The price you pay."

"Wait, hold on," Mindy said and grabbed Dave's arm and pulled him back, "You've got a black eye. I've got just enough left to cover it."

Dave sighed and sat down on the toilet, "Ya know, if you wore a t-shirt or anything less revealing than that you wouldn't have to use so much."

Mindy smirked as she started to apply, "And where would the fun be in that?"

Dave started to shake his head then Mindy not-so-gently smacked him in the side of the head, "Stop that. You want me to get this crap in your eye?"

"No, Mom."

She shoved him backwards, "Ass."

A few seconds later, Mindy gripped him by the chin and turned his face left and right, "Okay, you're done."

They headed to the door and checked the cameras again before before heading out into the hall. Mindy started jogging in place while Dave locked up and gave another quick stretch before they left for their morning jog.

"Hey, you wanna get smoothies for breakfast?"

"Hell yeah. And muffins."


End file.
